All through the ages rivers and waterways seemed to pioneer
the development of unexplored areas. So it was that Doon became the first permanent
settlement on the Big Rock river in Lyon County, Iowa.

The settlement of Doon centers around one illustrious pioneer, Mr. H.D. Rice. Many of the
first in the area were directly or indirectly due to this aspiring citizen.

H.D. Rice of Petersen in Clay County, Iowa, heard wonderful tales of Lyon County, and
proceeded in May of 1868 to explore the Rock River region. He was charmed with the beauty
of the place where now stands the town of Doon, and returned to the site in July of the
same year with his friend, L.F. Knight. Upon reaching the forks of the Little Rock, Big
Rock and West Branch streams, they built a cabin and thereby started the first permanent
settlement in the county.

Rice returned for his family, and while he was gone, Knight penned his thoughts in the
following lines:
"Sitting in solitude on the band of this beautiful stream, far removed from all
humanity, with naught but the song of the wild birds or the soft murmur of the waterfall
to break the silence of this green, glad, solitude, I cannot help but recall those
touching words of Robert Burns' beginning,

Ye banks and braes O'Bonnie Doon,
How can ye bloom sae fresh and fair:
How can yet chant ye little birds?
And I sae weary, fu' O' care!"
And this the town received its name, "Bonnie Doon."

When Rice later returned with his wife, she became the
first white woman in Lyon County on the Rock River. He then proceeded to build a more
permanent home and this became the first frame building in the area. (1869) All of the
lumber was hauled from Sioux City. This building later became a crossroads stopover, and
when the area was connected with the outside area by virtue of the stageline established
between LeMars, Doon, and Luverne, Minnesota in 1871he developed the building into a
hotel. This building still stands in the town of Doon. It was removed from its old
location near the southwest corner of Doon and is now the residence of Jim Hoogendoorn.
Rice later erected a fine hotel in the business district of Doon and it became one of the
finest and largest in Northwest Iowa. The "Bonnie Doon", as it was called,
contained 54 rooms, and for many years was the stop over of many an agent, salesman, or
adventurer.

Among other "first" attributed to this fine citizen of New England's Smith and
Brewster ancestry are: the first postal and stage coach agent, first Justice of the Peace,
and first mayor of the incorporated town of Doon.

We can understand from L.F. Knight's soliloquy, why the Yankton and Sioux Indians found
this area an ideal place to live. Doon, however, does not have the familiar stories of the
heroic struggles with the Indians in the pages of its history. The Sioux Indians had
finally vacated northwest Iowa and the Yanktons, if there were any, were friendly. The
only recorded hostile episode is that of three young explorers from Massachusetts, who
built a cabin near the site of Doon in 1862. One of them drowned, one was shot by the
Indians, and the other one told the tale.

The valleys of the Rock Rivers were part of the favorite hunting grounds of the Yankton
Indians. They were of a peaceful nature and chose to live in harmony with their white
intruders.

The Sioux Indians left evidence of long occupation, the most prominent being the burial
grounds overlooking Doon from the west, near the site of the present cemetery. Many
circular mounds there measured from 10-15 feet in height and were encased in stones at the
summit. They, with their contents, (among them being the bones of the dead) bear the
evidence of a great age.

The topography and geography of an area are also directly related to early settlement by
the Indians. The Doon area with its commanding hills and peaceful rivers abounding in wild
life, was an ideal place for the red man. The town is located near the confluence of the
Big Rock, Little Rock, and West Branch Rivers. The surrounding area is rolling hills, with
few stones to interfere with the cultivation of the fertile soil. The hills are undulating
enough to insure good drainage and not steep enough to promote excessive erosion. The
slope of the land is predominately to the south. The Rock River, which meanders past the
town, was named "River of the Red Rock" by the Indians because of its source in
the "Blue Mound" country of Rock County, Minnesota. Some early accounts of the
area note that, "The river has pure clean water, bounded by much fine timber, and
abounding in good fish."

The town's position upon a plateau on the east side of the river with a commanding view of
the meandering valleys as far as the eye could see, prompted an early citizen to remark,
"Doon will rank as one of our finest western towns."

With certain reservations, Doon did fulfil this pioneer's prophecy. From a handful of
hardy settlers in 1869, Doon grew to be a thriving town of 600 citizens by 1897. The first
store in Doon, and the first Post Office in Lyon County were established here in 1871.
E.R. Badgerow was sent from Sioux City to establish a post office at "Smead
City" disappearedthe post office being moved to Doon in the meantime.

The pioneer band of business places in early Lyon County centered around Beloit, Doon, and
Rock Rapids. Those located in Doon in 1872 included the following:

Settlement came to a standstill in the grasshopper and
depression era from 1873 to 1885 and immigrants passed up the high priced (% an acre) land
in Lyon County and dusted themselves in the Dakotas. Many, of course, soon back. Another
reason for the slow down in settlement was that only 20,000 of the country's 400,000 acres
were subject to homestead rights. The rest had been given away to the railroads and
gobbled up by speculators including Governor Larabee, who owned half of one township.

Railroads played a big part in the development of the town, just as they had made, or
ruined, many others. The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha (Northwestern line)
established a branch line from Luverne to Doon in 1879. Doon, being the southern terminal
of the line, a large roundhouse was established here. Also the Bonnie Doon Hotel now
became more prosperous because of the additional business. Its ticket agent in 1889, Mr.
C.B. Witt, reports"the station doing a fine business with the receipts about
$12,500 a week for freight alone."

Prosperity, however, was to be short lived for the "streak of rust," as it was
called by many envious citizens of Rock Rapids. When the Northwestern Railroad began its
program of retrenchments during the depression years of the 1930's it started with the
retirement of its "curious branch from Luverne, Minnesota to Doon, Iowa in
1934."

The Great Northern, or Sioux City and Northern, as it was called in its infancy, reached
Doon in the year 1889. Its coming was noted in the November 1889 issue of the LYON COUNTY
PRESS as follows. "The Sioux City and Manitoba, is the finest road through the
region. It has given the town a big boom. In ten days the track will be laid to Doon and
then we can see the smoke of the Sioux City and Northern."

After thriving for a number of decades its passenger service began dropping off and by
1950 was discontinued. The Great Northern's freights are still rolling, however, and doing
a thriving business.

With the coming of the Sioux City and Northern, business soon picked up. Doon sprang from
a hamlet of six houses and a school, to a prosperous town in a short time. The town was
incorporated June 29, 1982 with H.D. Rice as its first mayor. It's phenomenal growth is
recorded by F.A. Scott in the July 18, 1897 issue of the Lyon County Press: "and here
we are today, 1897 and we can boast of a fine town of about 600 population, with a flour
mill, six elevators, a creamery, three churches, (Baptist, Congregational and Catholic), a
new school, 50 room hotel, 2 banks, 3 doctors, 2 millinery shops and a host of
others."

This prosperity continued unabated through World War 1 with the help of such prices as
these, recorded in the Dec. 1917 edition of THE DOON PRESS

The stock market crash of 1929 and the depression that
followed soon had Doon on the skids, and to add to their woes, the town suffered a
damaging $25,000 fire on May 16, 1934. The fire consumed a sizeable portion of the town
with the aid of a strong south-westerly wind. It originated in the Farmer's Elevator and
although there are many conflicting stories, we will say for this record it was started by
a belt which was slipping on its pulley, and reached the kindling point. Besides the
elevator, a livery barn, Schoeneman Lumber Company, coal and cement sheds, OK Café,
Garage annex of Doon Auto Company, and numerous roofs and parts of homes were damaged or
destroyed. The alarm was answered by seven fire company's from Rock Rapids, Sioux Center,
Hull, Inwood, Rock Valley, Alvord, and Doon. My wife, Joyce, recalled one rather humorous
incident in connection with the fire. She remembers a group of obliging citizens carrying
a certain storekeeper's goods out in the street, while at the same time he was feverishly
returning them to the building, probably fearing looting more than the fire, and also
remembering his fire insurance did not cover merchandise outside of the building.

It was a big setback to the town, but by December of the same year, much reconstruction
had been done including a fine new elevator built by the Quaker Oats Company.

The Farm Bureau was organized in the county in December 1918. It has been, through the
years, a rather conservative farm organization leaning toward the Republican philosophies,
which have been so predominate in this county and state. (In fact Lyon and its neighbor
Sioux being two of the traditionally republican holdouts in our state.) It has a large
lobby both at the state house in Des Moines and at Washington D.C., and while farmers
sometimes wonder if it is working for or against them, the Farm Bureau has been
responsible for much legislation for the betterment of the farmer.

In the 1930 depression era, local farmers formed the "Holiday Movement," with
the focal point of the organization at LeMars. Farmers thought if the banks could take a
holiday and bide for time, they could also take a holiday from bringing their livestock
and produce to market. This was the first time a boycott was used to apply pressure for
better farm prices. It did bring them new farm legislation in the Roosevelt (F.D.) Years.

Of course in recent years (1950) the National Farmer's Organization has tried the same
boycott procedures on the local markets, but its effectiveness has been debated. Farmer's
as a group have never been solidly for any farm organization. Perhaps some future uniting
force will cause them to rally solidly to remedy their plight as the only major disunited
working force in the nation.

While the farmer was trying hard at agrarian reform others were concerned with the current
problems of the day such as temperance and Women's Suffrage. One anonymous writer wrote
the following in the March 5, 1891 issue of the LYON COUNTY PRESS, entitled:

Will They?
Will the women go wrong when they get women's rights?
Did it ever occur to you?
Will they stand in the street car without a complaint?
Did it ever occur to you?
Will the feminine senators powder and paint?
Should the speaker say, "RATS," would the women all faint?
Did it ever occur to you?

The local Temperance Union, organized in the 1880's met
free of charge in the Congregational Church. Its workers were full of zeal and had regular
meetings and conventions. In a June 4, 1897 issue of the LYON COUNTY PRESS, the following
announcement appeared: "...At last the date of the Suffrage Convention is fixed. It
is postponed to June 7 and 8 at Rock Rapids. Free entertainment to all who attend."
Signed Mrs. Laura Reynolds, Chairman.

An item appearing in 1891 of the same paper also stated: "... There is a certain
class in town who have no visible means of support, who are always flush with money, wear
good clothes, and spend their time doing nothing."Our temperance Union. The
saloons, however, flourished in spite of the feminine opposition, and of course later on,
even their fondest wish, prohibition, did not remedy the situation. Even our present
legislation has tried a new approach to the same old problem.

In recent years one of the most talked about social problems has been juvenile
delinquency. The biggest argument seems to center around who is delinquent, the parent or
the child. Delinquency did not seem to be as much a problem in the early days, at least
not on the surface. Could recreation have had a bearing on this social problem?

Recreation seems to tell the story of a changing town more so than any other item. The
kind of current entertainment could almost reveal the temperament of the times. So it was
in the "Gay Nineties" that the recreation was gay indeed. Issues of 1890
newspapers were full of hot baseball rivalries, grand social balls, old settlers picnics,
and Chautauquas. One announcement in a June 1897 issue of the LYON COUNTY PRESS
stated: "Grand Social Ball to be given tonight. A harpist has been secured from Sioux
City and there is every promise it will be one of the greatest social events of the
season." One early comment on the intense rivalry between baseball teams noted in an
April 1891 issue of the LYON COUNTY PRESS read as follows "LeMars is a
wealthy town and can afford to pay their 3 hired players $100 a month each, but as far as
baseball talent is concerned they are not in it. We take town against town and wipe the
earth with them every time!"

A Northwest Iowa Old Settlers Reunion was held in Doon in Hubbard Park, (1897) located at
the forks of the Big and Little Rock Rivers. Voters of 1871 were requested to assemble at
this gathering. At the time of that particular election in 1871, there were 97 votes cast
in the county and 97 were Republican.

The Chautauquas of early days were also quite entertaining and educational. An elderly
resident of Doon Mr. A.W. Anderson, showed me the spot, on the Public School Grounds,
where he had heard William Jennings Bryan speak on two different occasions.

In the roaring twenties and consequent thirties, the pace of living picked up a bit, but
there was always time for recreation. Sunday School Picnics, basket socials, sleigh rides,
skating and sliding parties, tennis matches, "The old swimmin' hole", band
concerts, social balls, games of Run-Sheep-Run, ball games, and a lot of other seemingly
endless entertainment.

After World War 11 much of this spontaneous fun has disappeared, to be replaced by such
commercialized pastimes as bowling, television, hi-fi-, etc., it would seem that
recreation must be provided rather than invented.

Hand in hand with the churches and newspapers is the education of our children. The three
"R's" had their humble beginning in a small building which was one of the first
seven buildings the town had by 1889. A more permanent wooden building was then erected in
1896 and it performed faithfully until by 1939, its floors and steps were becoming well
worn. A bond issue was floated in 1940 and with the help of the Works Progress
Administration, a fine school was started in that year and dedicated in 1941. This school
was one of the finest in the country. Since the advent of school reorganization in 1959
the Doon Public Independent School District became part of the Central Lyon Community
School District and was known as Central Lyon-South Elementary. The school has since been
closed.

The various social, fraternal, and farm organizations all blended together to provide
leisure time activities. When you add to these the healthy recreation program, there must
never have been a dull moment. In the early years there were a number of fraternal
organizations, including the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Grange, and Woodmen of the
World. Most of them soon became hard-pressed and disbanded. The Masonic Lodge chartered in
1907, withstood the elements of time and change until 1966 when it affiliated with the
Rock Valley Masonic Lodge. It met monthly in the old IOOF Hall which is now owned by the
Valley State Bank of Doon. The Woodmen of the World Hall was used at length by the town of
Doon after the Woodmen deserted it. Most of the town's social events, and basketball games
of the local Public School were held there until the completion of the new school in 1941.

The American Legion was formed as an aftermath of World War 1. It has been an active
organization, fostering many social events. Its membership was enlarged three 4-H clubs
with the addition of veterans from World War 11. Its counterpart, the American Legion
Auxiliary is also an active organization.

The Doon Woman's Club was activated in 1929 and it has continually tried to promote the
cultural betterment of the town. A lively and educational evening has always assured the
participants of each monthly meeting. Some of the things which can be attributed to them
are the town Library established in 1930, the Doon Park started in 1931, art contests in
the local Public Schools, annual flower shows, and story hour at the library every
Saturday afternoon for the little folks.

Other organizations include the Doon Firemen whose beginning stretches back to the
beginning of the town. There are, of course, other organizations too, including churches,
clubs and societies.

Because Doon is a rural community with the land its life blood, the surrounding farmers
with their problems and organizations are certainly a part of the town's history.
Prosperity on the farm usually coincided with good times in the town. When the farmer
received only a few cents for his produce, as he did so often in the early years, he
certainly did not have much to spend, and often bartered instead of selling. In the 1890's
farmers were already banding together trying to do something about their plight. Editor
B.H. Perkins of the 1891 LYON COUNTY PRESS was evidently trying to promote the
National FarmerAlliance with his paper's motto:

"A school house on every hill
and a farmers's alliance in every school!"

The Grange had been established earlier, but it seemed to
be more of a social organization than one of reform.

Whether to seek recreation (or work) elsewhere for other reasons, Doon's population
declined slowly through the thirties and forties. Perhaps the depression, World War 11,
changes in farm structure, mechanization, etc. all had a part. The decline of the small
town seems to have been in this period pretty much universal throughout our general area.

However, due to the tenacity of our good farmers of the Doon area and our enterprising
business people, plus the advent of social security, veterans pensions, Medicare, feed
grain programs and other generosities of our federal government, Doon is again
experiencing growing pains. Many older people have decided to retire in our fair town, and
its reasonable rents, low cost houses and comfortable atmosphere have lured many young
couples, plus various new businesses.

Perhaps another historical society might complete itself and Doon can regain it prominence
of the "Gay Nineties."